The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Phlox plant, botanically of hybrid origin and known as Phlox ‘Violet Pinwheels’ and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Violet Pinwheels’. The new cultivar represents a new herbaceous perennial grown for landscape use.
The new invention arose from an ongoing controlled breeding program by the Inventor in Glencoe, Ill. The objectives of the breeding program are to develop improved cultivars of spring blooming moss phlox by developing select interspecific hybrids of Phlox with novel traits of flower colors, plant habits, and tolerance to drought and soils with high salinity and pH.
‘Violet Pinwheels’ was derived from a cross made in May of 2008 under controlled conditions (that excluded natural pollinators) between an unnamed plant of Phlox bifida as the female parent and Phlox kelseyi ‘Lemhi Purple’ (not patented) as the male parent. The resulting seedlings were planted for evaluation in June of 2009. ‘Violet Pinwheels’ was selected in April of 2010 as a single unique plant amongst the resulting seedlings.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by stem tip cuttings by the Inventor in May of 2010 in Glencoe, Ill. Asexual propagation by stem tip cuttings has determined that the characteristics of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.